Keeping Up with The Joneses

My Totally Rad 30th Birthday Party!

2011-07-24T17:14:00.000-04:00

On July 23rd, Saunders threw me a totally rad birthday party for my BIG 30th Birthday! Why totally rad? Because it was an awesome 1980's theme to celebrate the decade in which I was born!

Saunders had a big dinner for me at Stonewall Manor in downtown Cartersville, complete with tons of food, a great DJ playing 80's music, and a big chocolate-iced cake from Agan's - my favorite! A bunch of my family and friends come to celebrate, and they all got decked out in 1980's style! The outfits were amazingly awful and hilarious...

Our good friend Tom is a DJ, so he (and his girlfriend Elizabeth) dj'ed the party for us. We had great 1980's music all night - and some fabulous karaoke, too! We played "80's and Katie's Trivia", which were questions all about the 1980's and all about me! The winners were my parents, Greg and Jillian, and Erin and Jason Jolly. We also had lots of fun and lots of dancing. To see more hilarious pictures of the big party, watch this Smilebox...

Create a slideshow design

It was such a fun birthday party! I loved celebrating the Big 3-0 with a big 80's blowout!

Our Beach Vacation

2011-07-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

This summer, we took our annual vacation to Sea Crest Beach. We had a wonderful time as usual! The kids did so great on the car ride down and back - it was definitely our easiest traveling trip. We spent a lot of time at the pool and a little time at the beach. It was SJ's first time to the ocean, but he did not really enjoy it. He wasn't a huge fan of the sand, and the terrible sea weed this year made getting in the ocean yucky. So, we only went to the beach a couple of times. We had lots of fun playing games, relaxing, shopping, and going to some of our favorite restaurants - and some new ones, too. We had a great week!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip!

Messy Eaters!

2011-06-13T10:29:00.000-04:00

SJ is your typical baby ... he loves to make a mess when he eats!

SJ has almost completely given up baby food at this point, and he loves to feed himself. When he gets started, there's no holding him back - he smears food all over himself! He loves to rub food in his hair and eyebrows, so cleaning him up after a meal is quite a challenge!

Yum yum - eating off his own arm:

Action Shot!

Nasty hands!

The other day, I tried giving SJ a plate for the first time. That didn't go over too well... in about 3 seconds, he'd dumped all the food from his plate into his lap and tossed the plate in the floor!

Now, that's better!

Katie Anne was totally different as a baby - she rarely got food on her face and didn't like making a mess. But, if brother does something funny, she wants to do it, too ... so for the sake of fun, she made a little mess today as well!

Normally, she's a very neat eater. She does NOT like to get food on her clothes. So, for this messy meal of Spaghettios, she asked to wear one of SJ's bibs to keep her shirt clean!

Here are some silly pictures of KA eating, too!

Popsicle Picnic

2011-06-09T20:55:00.003-04:00

Nothing says summertime like a popsicle picnic in the front yard!

This was SJ's first experience with a popsicle, and he was definitely not a fan at first.

He was a good sport about it and kept trying to enjoy it.

He eventually started to like the popsicle and wound up eating most of it, but I wouldn't say it was one of his favorite things.

Katie Anne loves popsicles and had a great time eating a treat and hanging out on the quilt in the yard!

SJ says, "Who needs to eat popsicles when there are all these delicious leaves around?"

SJ was in quite a goofy mood and made all sorts of crazy faces while we were outside. Here he is, busting out the angry eyes.

Now, back to his sweet self...

Hello, friends.

Drunk on his own power!

The name's Jones... SJ Jones.

Sister Squeezes!

Katie Anne put on several musical numbers while we were outside relaxing. What a performer - she's made for Broadway! I love the big finish...

Hotel for Dogs

2011-06-09T13:08:00.006-04:00

This summer, our local theater has been offering kids' movies for $1 on Thursday mornings. It's not quite as cheap as the free movies that are offered in Kennesaw, but a five minute drive vs a thirty minute drive is definitely worth paying a few bucks for! We've watched a few movies there this summer, and we've really had a great time enjoying some shows we missed when they were released in theaters the first time.

Of course, Katie Anne loves to go to the movies. Going to the movies in the summer is a tradition that we've been doing for the past several years. She does great in the theater, eating her popcorn and watching the entire movie like a complete adult. SJ is a bit more tricky because the movie doesn't hold his attention for the entire time. Luckily, my mom is able to go with us to the movies and help out.

There's just no way I could take both kids to the movies by myself right now, so it's great that my mom can sit with Katie Anne and watch the movie if I need to take SJ out or stand up and bounce him around. So far, he's done well in the theater for the most part. He usually watches the previews and first part of the movie while eating some snacks that I bring from home. Then, he takes a bottle (not normally a bottle time for him, but it helps him stay quiet and settle down), and then I walk or bounce him around until he falls asleep. The $1 movie showtimes are at 10:00, so that works pretty well with his naptime. If we're lucky, he'll sleep from that point on until the movie is almost over.

These pictures are from our morning watching Hotel for Dogs. Just for fun, here's one picture of SJ photo bombing poor Katie Anne's movie picture!

Dress Up Fun

2011-06-02T13:54:00.001-04:00

Katie Anne loves to play dress up right now. She dresses up as someone different every day. Of course, her favorites are the Disney princesses, but she thinks of lots of other people to be, too. She's been a doctor, a waitress, a rock star, a bride, a vet, a mommy, an astronaut, a ballerina, and lots more. Today, she was Cinderella.

When it was time to run some errands, she asked if she could wear her Cinderella outfit. For a second, I thought about saying no, but then I thought: If you can't wear your dress up clothes to Target at four years old, when can you? Plus, the time for her to actually be playing dress up and pretending to be a princess is probably passing even faster than I realize, so I told her that she could definitely wear her dress up clothes to Target. So, Cinderella, SJ, and I ran our errands in style today!

At lunchtime, it was time for Belle to make an appearance. This time, Katie Anne let SJ get into the dress up fun, too!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T17:46:00.015-04:00

For Memorial Day, we celebrated with an afternoon of fun with my parents and our neighbors Alice and Ben Plantz. We had a delicious barbeque with tons of fantastic food! After we all got totally stuffed, we squeezed into our bathing suits and went swimming at Alice and Ben's pool. Then, we played board games like Scrabble and Mexican Train until late late late! It was definitely a very fun Memorial Day!

*Poor Saunders was at LSU and missed all the Memorial Day fun!

Fishy Kids!

2011-05-29T16:09:00.014-04:00

These kids love swimming!

Carlton and Trisha came up to visit this weekend, and we had a great time swimming in the pool with them!

Look at that water bug!

Katie Anne loves to splash!

SJ is getting much more comfortable in his float, too.

Splish splash!

Car Riders!

2011-05-28T22:49:00.043-04:00

About a year ago, Gigi got a little car for free from someone who was getting rid of it. With a little rehab, it looked just like my Element, and Katie Anne loved having her own little Element to drive around. The best part was that it was just the right size to drive around our house on the hard wood floors. Katie Anne really enjoyed it and drove it a lot, and it was her major mode of transportation in her pretend games.

However, she doesn't love it nearly as much as SJ does! Within the last few days he's become absolutely obsessed with that blue car. He wants to sit in it, drive it, or be pushed around the house in it all the time. He would love to spend every waking second in this car!

Katie Anne thinks it's great that he wants to ride shotgun with her, and she has loved having a passenger in her car!

She's not quite as sure about having a new driver, though...

Katie Anne has been very sweet to SJ and has done a good job of sharing the car. She lets him sit in it whenever he'd like, and she loves pushing him around in it, too.

(It also might help just a teeny bit that I foresaw this problem when SJ first started dominating the car. So, I went upstairs where we've been saving lots of KA's toys for a younger sibling, and I got down another riding toy of hers from the toddler days. Sneaky Mommy! So, one rides in the blue car and one rides on the "motorcycle", and then they switch. Sharing is much easier when you've got another vehicle waiting on you!)

And, just for fun, here's one more picture... she was actually reaching up for the camera to look at a picture I'd just taken, and I accidentally snapped one more, but it looks like Katie Anne's protecting SJ from the paparazzi. "No more pictures!"

SJ is a Crawler!

2011-05-28T12:23:00.004-04:00

SJ learned how to crawl this weekend!

Once he got started, it took him about fifteen minutes to go from barely crawling to lightening fast, so keeping track of this wild boy just got a lot harder!

SJ's First Swim!

2011-05-21T23:45:00.027-04:00

SJ went swimming for the first time today! He took his first dip at Doc and VJ's pool. He stayed in the pool for about 30 minutes this first time in...

Then he chilled under the umbrella with me while Daddy and KA swam some more.

SJ wasn't scared of the water at all. He loved splashing in the water on the steps, but he was a little unsure about being submerged up to his chest in his new float.

Katie Anne jumped right back in the water like a little fish this summer. She doesn't need floaties this year and is not at all afraid to hold her breath and stick her face underwater! I'm going to pick up some goggles for her because the pool water does bother her eyes. I think she'll be swimming for real in no time!

Geaux Tigers ... & The Pots & Spoons Band

2011-05-21T11:59:00.003-04:00

Early this morning, Saunders flew out to Baton Rouge, LA for two weeks of classes at LSU. He's getting a graduate degree in banking there, so he's starting the program with two weeks on campus, and then he'll submit online assignments throughout the year. It will take him three years (and two more big trips to LSU after this one) to complete his banking degree. We are very proud of him for continuing his education with another degree - but we don't know if we'll be chanting "Geaux Tigers!" with him anytime soon!

This morning, it was our first day of 16 days of just me and the kids. While I unloaded the dishwasher, the kids kept themselves occupied by starting their own little kitchen band in their pj's! They loved banging away on the bottom of the pots with wooden spoons and their hands. It was very loud but very fun, and it kept them busy for quite a while!

Katie Anne put the pot on top of her head and said, "I'm Johnny Appleseed!" I didn't even know that she knew who Johnny Appleseed was, but apparently she learned all about him at school.

*This is the first time I've made pictures with the new point-and-shoot camera that Saunders and KA picked up for me for Mother's Day. Obviously, I need to read the instruction manual and adjust the settings a little bit, but I still thought these pictures were cute!

Little Chef

2011-05-19T19:56:00.004-04:00

SJ gave Katie Anne a wooden make-your-own-pizza set for her birthday, and she loves it! She's always in her play kitchen whipping up an unusual pizza for us to try. She's our little chef!

A Real Baby Alive

2011-05-17T22:44:00.000-04:00

Katie Anne has her ultimate real Baby Alive right now... her little brother! She loves to pretend that he's her baby doll.

She loves to pretend to feed him in her play kitchen. Of course, SJ plays right along. He doesn't seem to care that there's nothing on the spoon - he thinks whatever Katie Anne wants to do is a great idea!

Yum yum!

9 Months Old

2011-05-17T15:54:00.005-04:00

SJ is now nine months old! In the last month, SJ has really blossomed from a baby into his own little person.

The biggest milestone in the last month for SJ is that he finally - mercifully - started sleeping through the night. At first, it was touch and go with him waking up a few nights a week, but now I can safely say that he's solidly sleeping through the night. He usually goes to bed around 7:30 pm and wakes up about 6:00 am. It is making life much easier for me that I'm finally getting a good night's sleep only nine months after giving birth to this crazy guy!

He has learned how to eat finger foods without choking - even though he still hasn't popped his first tooth yet. I've tried to broaden his eating horizons this month, and he's doing well with trying new foods and feeding himself. He loves eating Puffs, fruit, and veggies by himself - his favorite foods are green beans and watermelon! Unlike Katie Anne, he really doesn't like yogurt at all. He is still eating baby food right now, but I don't think it will be long until SJ decides he's done with that because he definitely enjoys feeding himself. He's still taking 4-5 six ounce bottles of formula each day in addition to his three meals. Here his is enjoying another favorite vegetable - lima beans!

SJ hasn't started crawling yet, but he's soooo close! He gets up on all fours and rocks, so we know it's just a matter of time until he takes off! SJ is also pulling up on the coffee table and chairs, but he hasn't really started cruising. He can stand up for awhile when he's holding onto something, but he can't stand up on his own just yet.

SJ loves to play with toys. Right now, his preferences are blocks, small stuffed animals, things that make noise, and anything that he can shake. He loves to bang toys together! He loves to play his baby piano and push buttons on his big baby telephone. Basically anything that lights up or makes noises makes him happy!

New Car Seats!

2011-05-16T22:25:00.000-04:00

Today was a big day for both of the kids - they both made a big move from their old car seats into new ones!

SJ moved up from his infant car seat into a rear-facing convertible... he's using one of Katie Anne's old seats, but he also got a new one that's just for him! He was very happy to stretch out in the new, bigger seat.

While we were shopping for a car seat for SJ and trying to do the math on whether to buy SJ 2 new car seats or KA 2 new ones and reuse her old ones for him, we realized something crazy... Katie Anne is well past the height and weight requirements for a booster seat! Apparently, she could've moved up to a high-backed booster a long time ago, and now she's actually big enough for the backless booster. I could not believe it - and I wrestled with the idea of moving her up because I just couldn't accept that she's that grown up! But, finally I did accept it, and we bought her a booster seat! She is so excited to be riding like a big girl in the car.

(But ... I'm still keeping her in the high-backed booster for awhile. Even though she can ride backless, I just feel better with her being a little more protected. She's not all grown up yet!)

Our Family Drawing

2011-05-13T19:53:00.000-04:00

Katie Anne drew this picture of our family all by herself, and I think she did such a wonderful job! That's me on the far left, walking Ginger on a leash. I'm holding hands with Katie Anne, and she's walking Abby on a leash, too. Then, there's Daddy holding SJ on the far right. I think this one's suitable for framing!

Cubbies Awards Night

2011-05-11T22:01:00.013-04:00

Tonight was Cubbies Awards Night. All the kids who participated in the Awana Program at First Baptist this year got awards. Katie Anne was very excited to be a part of the program! She got a participation award for being a Cubbies member and a little bear for completing her book. She learned a lot of Bible verses to earn that award, and we are very proud of her!

Sweet Cubbie Friends!

Katie Anne, Lily, and Bear

Waving to us from on stage

Cubbies Participation Certificate or Awesome Pope Hat? You make the call.

Unfortunately, Cubbies Awards Night means that Cubbies is over for the year. We'll definitely miss Cubbies this summer! Katie Anne is already looking forward to going back in the fall.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:00:00.047-04:00

We celebrated with our moms and grandmothers on Mother's Day weekend! On Mother's Day morning, I got to spend lots of time with these two cuties:

I also got some great presents that the kids had made at school - a card and framed "World's Best Mommy" picture from Katie Anne and a framed footprint from SJ! I got a new digital camera from Saunders and the kids that afternoon, too.

We celebrated with Gigi, Mamaw, Granny Nelle, and mom-to-be Jillian (along with lots of the extended family) at The Waterstone Grill in Acworth for a Mother's Day brunch. It was really a delicious brunch buffet!

After lunch, we went back to Gigi and Granddad's house to spend the rest of the day together as a family. We got to open Mother's Day presents from each other, too! I didn't take many pictures because my old camera's flash was messing up and my new camera was still in the box! I took one picture of my mom and I with our gifts...

And then I snagged this other cute one from my mom!

We celebrated Mother's Day earlier in the weekend with VJ as well!

A Reason to Call Poison Control

2011-05-07T19:19:00.016-04:00

Here's a memo to all girls out there who are planning to have tea parties with their stuffed animals.

If you are looking for something to serve as a straw, a black marker is probably not your best choice.

That's right... Katie Anne decided to have a tea party with her stuffed animals in the foyer while we were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner on May 3. She set up all the animals with little cups, saucers, and plates for tea snacks. Then, she decided everyone needed a straw for their tea cup. What do you do with a straw? You sip on it, of course. Unfortunately, when you sip on the cap of a marker for a long time, the cap fills with spit... and ink. When the cap pops off in your mouth, your mouth fills with black inky spit. Not a good thing.

So, Katie Anne came running up to me, crying and screaming behind her hands (which were pressed tightly to her mouth), with blackish-blue something streaming out from between her fingers and running down her arms. I freaked out - I had no idea what was pouring out of her mouth, and she wouldn't tell me because she thought she would get in trouble. Finally, under threat of a spanking, she told us that she'd sucked on a black marker. We rushed her to the bathroom, and Saunders started rinsing her mouth out as fast as he could while I called Poison Control.

Luckily, the very nice and understanding Amanda at the Poison Control Hotline said this was a very common thing with kids, and that - since the marker was washable - Katie Anne would be fine. All we should do is rinse her mouth, wash her face (and hands and forearms since it poured out of her mouth), and brush her teeth. Then, she needed to drink lots of water to dilute any ink that was in her stomach. But, Amanda warned us that it might take some time for the ink to wash off... and it did! Katie Anne was sporting the ink mouth with black lips and gums for almost three full days!

FYI ... all these pictures were made AFTER about 20 minutes of rinsing, scrubbing, and teeth brushing. In the heat of the moment - when I thought my kid was dying of some kind of freak esophagus eruption or coughing up black blood or something - I didn't take the time to snap a picture of how terrible it actually was, but trust me ... these pictures don't do the first sight of her screaming and crying with blue-black liquid pouring out of her mouth any kind of justice. :)

Look, Ma...

2011-05-07T15:33:00.000-04:00

no hands!

Hands off me, woman - I'm a big boy!

Sweet Singing

2011-05-07T15:27:00.001-04:00

While I was unloading the dishwasher the other day, Katie Anne was serenading SJ with an original song inspired by him: "He's My Baby Boy". Of course, I had to stop unloading the dishes and sneak to grab my camera!

Pennies for Japan

2011-05-05T19:14:00.001-04:00

At the end of April, Katie Anne and SJ's school started a fundraiser called "Pennies for Japan". The teachers told the kids a little bit about the earthquake and tsunami, and then kids were encouraged to bring in bags of pennies to donate to the American Red Cross.

Well, Katie Anne got very into gathering pennies for Japan. She was so sincere and earnest when she explained her view of what happened and told us all about getting together pennies for the kids in Japan. All this week, she's being going through the change in my purse, the cars, and anywhere else she can find a penny. On the morning I took these pictures, she was cleaning out one of her piggy banks...

plus Daddy's big jar of change!

(Yes, Saunders keeps his change in a big Jack Daniels' bottle. So, I dumped the change out into the big plastic container so she could sort through for pennies.)

She took her sorting job very seriously - she only wanted to pick out the pennies! It was "Pennies for Japan", after all!

Our little philanthropist was so proud to take a bag with bunches of pennies to school to donate!

When she got to school, she realized she had accidentally taken a nickel in her penny bag. Her teacher thought her reaction was funny, so she wrote a note and told us what happened when KA saw it. Katie Anne said, "Oh, no! I was supposed to bring the pennies and leave my dad the coins! I've gotta take the silver money back to my dad." Saunders told her it would've been okay to donate a nickel to the cause, but she brought the nickel back home that afternoon. :)

Easter Morning

2011-04-26T22:26:00.001-04:00

On Easter morning, we got up bright and early - we were going to try to take both kids to church for the first time! Before we got ready to go to the First Baptist Church, the kids got to check out what the Easter Bunny had brought them.

The Easter Bunny gave them both fun things. They each got a book, a spring-y stuffed animal, two other toys they'd wanted, and a monogrammed pail to take to the beach this summer.

Katie Anne's book was Knuffle Bunny Free, her springy animal was Melody from Hello Kitty, and her two other toys were a bouncy ball and a mini Ladybug Pillow Pet, both of which she'd really wanted. She also got a little candy in her basket.

SJ got a textured board book called Little Feet Love, two different kinds of teether toys, and Keroppi from Hello Kitty.

The kids loved everything in their Easter Baskets!

After we got through checking out the baskets, we got ready for church - and actually made it there, on time, with both kids! Katie Anne had a lot of fun playing and learning in Wee Worship with Lily and some friends from Cubbies, and SJ was excellent in the service with Saunders, Josh, Vanessa, and I. After church, we took Katie Anne outside to egg hunt with some of her classmates from Cubbies.

SJ was so tired - he was definitely ready to go home and take a nap after his busy Easter morning!

Because of the visitation for Papaw on Easter Sunday afternoon and the funeral the next day, we didn't have our normal Johnston family Easter lunch at Angela's as planned. We also missed celebrating Easter with my family and hunting eggs at my parents' house due to my mom's surgery and Papaw's passing, although we did get to see my side of the family on Easter Sunday for the visitation. Despite the sadness we were all feeling and all the changes from our normal Easter routine, it was still a good Easter for the kids, and SJ enjoyed his first Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-26T21:18:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, we went to the Country Club for our annual Easter brunch and egg hunt with Saunders's family. We met Doc, VJ, and Grandmama for a yummy brunch of the traditional favorites. Katie Anne did a wonderful job at the table - she was on her best behavior, ate a good breakfast, and she loved reading her giant Disney princess story book quietly while the adults ate.

SJ did a great job at the table, too - he ate his breakfast quietly, chatted with everyone for a bit, and then he took a little nap while he was drinking from his sippy cup!

Here are some pictures of Saunders and his family at brunch...

It was a little bit hard for me to be cheerful with everything that had gone on recently, but I really wanted to enjoy SJ's first Easter and Katie Anne's first time in the "big kid" hunt, so I did my best.

After breakfast, it was time for the hunt - or "the running of the children", as Doc calls it. It was Katie Anne's first time moving up to the 4-7 year old hunt, so I was a little bit nervous that she wouldn't be able to keep up since she just turned four. Of course, that shouldn't have been a concern - she's an egg hunting pro! She had a great time and had no problem keeping up with the big kids. She got to hunt with Lily this year, so she was very happy about that! Here are both pretty girls, patiently waiting for the egg hunt to begin!

When the Easter Bunny told the kids it was time to start, Lily and KA took off running, and poor Lily tripped over the rope and lost her footing! I was snap-snap-snapping away down field a bit, and I caught the moment she went down!

Of course, Katie Anne almost stepped on Lily, and then fell right next to her!

Katie Anne took less of a blow when the girls took their tumble, so she jumped back up and took off.

The hunt was on, and she wasn't about to let some big kids sweep the field clean of eggs!

She did not forget about her fallen comrade, however. Here she is, looking back and yelling, "Come on, Lily!!!"

Lily had to get just a minute of tlc from her dad...

and then she was ready to gather lots of eggs, too!

KA on the hunt...

Using her dress to help her hold more eggs...

I wonder where she gets that competitive nature!?! You know her daddy was loving all this! He said she's wearing cleats next year. ;)

Hunting with the Caswell boys...

Katie Anne even managed to find the prize egg in a hole...

Posing pretty with her basket full of eggs!

Despite their initial fall, both girls managed to get lots and lots of Easter eggs.

Bear came over to see what the girls had found, and they got a picture together.

Then, SJ came over - he'd watched the hunting from the sidelines with Doc, VJ, and Grandmama. They checked out the goodies in their baskets...

and took such a sweet picture together! I love this one!

We got a good family picture in our color-coordinated teal, too.*

Then, it was time for Katie Anne to trade in her prize egg...

The kids in the three-and-under age group got baskets with stuffed animals inside, and Katie Anne was shocked when she was handed an envelope and not a basket.

Imagine her disappointment when she realized her envelope contained money and not a stuffed animal like the other kids!

Once we told her that money could just as easily buy a little basket and a stuffed bunny, she realized it was actually a prize worth having! Haha!

Doc, Grandmama, and VJ with the kids:

*A note about our color-coordination... I always dress the kids to coordinate with me for picture purposes (because I'm cool like that). I would be happy to get Saunders something that's at least in the same color family, too ... and I've done that a time or two, but he usually thinks that's way too goofy and prefers to dress himself. So, he had no idea what the kids and I were wearing for Easter. He already had this shirt, and he got dressed first on Saturday morning. As soon as I saw him, I said, "Oh, no ... a giant Milwaukee's Best Light can is going to come out of the sky and crush you." He wanted to change when he realized we were all wearing teal, but I wouldn't let him - it was too perfect to change! I love it! :)

Our Sweet Papaw

2011-04-22T22:02:00.094-04:00

This morning, our sweet Papaw passed away. Papaw is my mom's dad, and he's definitely the patriarch of the big Johnston family. Although he had just turned 82 in March, his death was an unexpected thing for our family. In fact, he was just at our house a few days ago for Katie Anne's birthday party.

He had a great time rocking on our deck, watching the kids play in the yard, and enjoying some of KA's delicious birthday cake. In fact, he told Saunders all about a bluegrass concert that he'd attended the night before - Century Bank had sponsored the concert, and Papaw had really enjoyed it.

So, when we heard that he'd had a massive heart attack earlier this morning, it was definitely a shock. I'm very relieved that Papaw did not suffer, and I'm so thankful that Granny Nelle was with him when he died. She said that he was standing at his kitchen sink one minute, washing his hands and telling her that he didn't feel well, and the next minute he'd slumped over a bit and she was laying him gently on their kitchen floor. By the time she laid him down, he had already passed away. I am very grateful that he didn't suffer, and we couldn't have asked for a better end to Papaw's kind, gentle life than that. But, a quick and painless death doesn't make the fact that Papaw is gone any quicker to get over or less painful for those of us who will miss him very much.

With Papaw's passing, I have now lost both my grandfathers. I am very lucky that I got to grow up close to both Pop and Papaw - I got to know them very well and spend lots of time with them as I grew up. Pop died when I was 15, and I got to spend almost twice as many years with Papaw - he lived for almost the first 30 years of my life. There's a lot of people who don't have that opportunity to spend time with their grandfathers. I am also so glad that Papaw got to meet and spend time with both of my kids. But, none of those facts will make me miss it any less when I don't get to hear him singing Happy Birthday in harmony with Granny Nelle to me this June, or serve him a slice of SJ's first birthday cake this August, or spend time with him during the holidays this year. Luckily, there are lots of happy memories of Papaw for all of us to remember. Here are just a few pictures of him that I've taken over the last few years...

Meeting teeny tiny SJ last August...

At Katie Anne's Tinkerbell birthday party...

Christmas this year...

At Katie Anne's second birthday party...

Katie Anne giving Papaw his Father's Day gift...

Papaw, you will be missed very much!

Katie Anne's Four Year Check-up

2011-04-20T21:46:00.039-04:00

A few days ago, Katie Anne had her annual check-up at Dr. Ryan's office. As usual, it was all good news for KA!

*She was in a very silly mood while we waited on Dr. Ryan, so all the pictures in this post are of her being goofy!

Katie Anne is the picture of four-year-old health. She weighs 40 pounds and is 44.5 inches tall ... that's 90% in weight and 95% in height for her age. She's on the same growth track she's been on since birth (she's almost always 90% in both areas). If she keeps growing at this rate, the chart predicts that she'll be 5'10" as an adult! We are so lucky that Katie Anne is so incredibly healthy - she almost never goes to the doctor unless it's a well visit! Knock on wood, but this kid's only had one sick visit in her entire life. She's just healthy as a horse, and we certainly hope that trend continues for her!

We got all our information and paperwork ready for pre-k, and Katie Anne passed her hearing, vision, and dental check on the first try. Katie Anne met or surpassed all her developmental milestones, especially her counting - they finally told her to stop counting at 34! She loved showing off her skipping skills, too - which made me proud, since skipping was a developmental milestone that I had to work on back when I was four! (Hey, it's easy to confuse skipping with galloping, people.) Dr. Ryan was very happy about several of her habits, including her self-reporting about always washing her hands, brushing her teeth, drinking lots of milk, and eating lots of different foods. Her only areas to work on are using warm water to wash her hands (she told Dr. Ryan that she only uses cold water) and drinking too much apple juice. Even though we cut it with water, she drinks way more than the suggested 6-8 oz per day. So, she promised to cut back to one cup in the morning and one cup in the afternoon. So far, she's keeping her promise and only drinking 8 oz of apple juice a day.

She got three shots at this appointment - which she did not enjoy at all. She didn't cry too much at the time, but she complained and whined for days about her legs being sore. A Hello Kitty bandaid seemed to reduce the pain tremendously, though ... so she was rocking the Hello Kitties for about four days after her visit! The good news is that she won't need any more shots for about six years, so we've got a long time before we have to go through all that drama again!

Greg & Jillian's Big Announcement!

2011-04-19T20:59:00.000-04:00

On Sunday evening, after Katie Anne's birthday party, Greg and Jillian asked if all of us could go out to dinner together. Hmmm... wonder why? Could it be that Jillian is...

pregnant!?!?

Yes, she is! They had the cutest way of surprising us ... they gave each of the adults an Easter egg with a lucky penny and a scratch-off "lotto" card inside. When we scratched off the card, we got the great news! Baby Glawson is due in November! We are all very excited!

Katie Anne's totally pumped about having her very first first cousin!

SJ is excited, too!

They hoped it would be a total surprise, but we had a little idea that there might be a bun in the oven. In my infinite Tom Collins-induced wisdom, I totally guessed it at last month's Bunco! Hey, Jillian gave out a few easy clues ... frequent bathroom breaks, nausea, asking for Tums, bringing wine but not drinking it!?! Come on, who asks for Tums and skips on their own wine? Only a pregnant girl! Jillian swore she wasn't pregnant at Bunco, but just in case ... my parents and I brought some little new baby presents for the new parents! We kept them hidden until they'd announced the big news, then we busted them out!

We brought Greg and Jillian some baby toys...

And, my parents brought them a "My Daddy Rocks!" onesie!

Can't wait to meet Baby Glawson in November ... hopefully on 11.11.11!

Katie Anne's 4th Birthday Party

2011-04-19T18:22:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, we celebrated Katie Anne's fourth birthday with a party at our house. Katie Anne wanted to have a costume party where her friends could play all her favorite games. Her original idea was "Halloween in April" (her exact words!) with pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and the whole shebang, but I told her I didn't want to take the Halloween theme quite that far. So, we settled on a fun dress-up party with a princess theme (because Katie Anne wanted to be a princess, of course) and playing chosen her games, too. Everyone looked so cute dressed up in their costumes!

At 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, the party started with all the kids playing on Katie Anne's (and SJ's, too) new playset from Doc and VJ. Everyone had a great time swinging, sliding, and playing together.

Then, the kids played the games that Katie Anne wanted to try - Duck Duck Goose, Hide & Go Seek, and Freeze Tag. Katie Anne said later that the games were the best time of the party for her!

One of VJ's friends brought a horse to the party, too.

After games, it was time for snacks, cake, and ice cream and snacks - we had a princess cake from Agan's and lots of Katie Anne's favorite snacks like pretzels, fruit snacks, Goldfish, apples, grapes, and cheese.

Then, Katie Anne got to open all her presents from her friends and family. She got so many great things like dolls, toys, puzzles, movies, and cute clothes.

These are just some of the pictures from the party. To see more, click here to view an album of party photos.

It was a wonderful birthday party for Katie Anne!

SJ's First Word!

2011-04-18T20:56:00.001-04:00

SJ has always been a very vocal baby who loves to chat, laugh, and yell out loud, but now we can add official "first worder" at seven months old to his list of verbose accomplishments!

On Thursday of last week, SJ figured out how to make the /b/ sound. Since then, he has hit the ground running with the b's! First, it was just two days of babbling with b and saying "bub - bub - bub" over and over. On Saturday morning, just after Saunders had left for the G-Day Game, SJ looked right over to the door and said "Bye-bye ... bye-bye." Katie Anne and I were stunned! When we asked him to repeat it, he politely obliged us for a couple of rounds of bye-bying. We were so excited - SJ's first word! Later that afternoon, I was able to make a video of SJ showing off his first word skills:

Since then, he's waved and said "Bye-bye" to two different people at the appropriate times (aka when they're actually leaving). We also think he's trying to say "bite" as well while he's eating. There's definitely more of a "buh" sound to his "bye-bye" and more of a "bi" sound to his "bite" (of course, no final /t/ yet there). When he was eating some of Katie Anne's birthday cake, he said, "Mmmmm... bi." and gave a big grin. That boy loves his cake - and talking, too!

Baby Boy and his Kammi Doll

2011-04-17T06:09:00.000-04:00

SJ loves his little Kammi Doll...

I peeked in to check on him during nap time, and this is what I found...

So sweet and snuggly!

Big Sister's Bad Influence!

2011-04-16T22:21:00.001-04:00

I leave Katie Anne and SJ alone to play in her room for just a few seconds while I go grab laundry from the dryer, and what do I come back to find? SJ getting his first sip of apple juice ... from Katie Anne's sippy cup!

What a little stinker!

Piano Man

2011-04-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Last week, we got out the little baby piano from upstairs for SJ to try. He loves it! He is totally obsessed with flipping the pages and banging keys to make the little sunshine face and hands move.

SJ is in the cutest stage right now where he loves to smile for the camera. Whenever I point the camera his way, he gives me his big cute grin!

Adventures in Self-Feeding

2011-04-14T21:31:00.000-04:00

Now that SJ is seven months old, I've been giving him opportunities to feed himself. So far, he isn't big on the ideas of pincer grasps, feeding himself, eating table foods, and not choking. Here are some of the adventures in self-feeding for SJ!

First, I tried some soft fruit pieces since he adores those in the net feeder. We tried ripe strawberries, and SJ was really excited about the concept:

Unfortunately, he was not quite as excited about the reality:

Then, we tried some soft pieces of banana. Bananas are SJ's favorite fruits in the baby food genre, so I was sure this would work well for him.

Again, very excited about the idea...

Not so excited about the reality ... again.

(He is not actually choking on a piece of banana here, although he had choked on his one and only bite previously. Here, he's gagging at the very thought of eating another piece of banana... he gagged for several minutes after his one bite of banana was fished out of his mouth!)

Then, Daddy got the bright idea to give SJ another one of the world's best healthy foods ... a Cheeto Puff. SJ was very pumped about it!

He loved the whole idea of the puff!

Eh... again, maybe this was not a good idea.

What is this crazy thing?

I'm just going to put this down now...

Then, I saw a Baby Mum Mum on Erin's blog. I thought I'd let SJ try the Mum Mum and see how that went.

He did okay with it - only a little choking, and he was able to feed it to himself...

But he didn't really seem to actually like it.

Last week, after Katie Anne's school party, we gave SJ a bit of leftover cupcake. Now, this is what he was talking about! Finally, a bit of table food that he could sink his teeth (well, gums) into!

But, feeding yourself with your little chub fingers is hard work.

You do crazy things like crush the cupcake into dust or miss your mouth and put the cupcake on your chin.

Why do so much work when there's someone willing to do it for you? Big sister KA is more than happy to stand beside the high chair and feed bites of birthday cupcake to her baby bird.

Who can deny the birthday princess and her baby brother when this arrangement obviously makes them both so happy?

SJ will probably be a million pounds by the time he's 5, but look how sweet they are together!

Katie Anne's School Party

2011-04-10T20:56:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, April 7, Katie Anne and SJ had to go to school so I could take care of a few things while on Spring Break. So, when I picked them up in the afternoon, I brought cupcakes to Katie Anne's class for her birthday. She was excited to celebrate her fourth birthday with her school friends!

The class was on the playground when I arrived, so I was able to get everything set up for the party before they came in the door:

Excited to see her Mommy - and her cupcakes!

Big smiles and a big cupcake! She was so excited to blow out her Cinderella candle:

Passing out Mickey Mouse stickers to all her friends!

What Happens at Gigi's...

2011-04-08T14:23:00.001-04:00

stays at Gigi's!!!

When we got back from Disney World, little SJ was sporting a new shirt (and bib) to let us know that what happened while he was at the grandparents' house was his business! :)

We greatly appreciate Gigi and Granddad watching SJ - and SJ (aka Cinderfella), Gigi, and VJ doing lots of laundry at our place, too - while we were in the Magic Kingdom celebrating KA's big birthday!

Disney Day 4: Time to Head Home!

2011-04-07T20:55:00.000-04:00

On our last day (Tuesday, April 5), it was time to pack up and head home! Katie Anne wasn't too sad while we were packing and loading the car, which surprised us. We thought she'd be disappointed that we were leaving, but she seemed fine with it. We stopped by one of the Disney shops so she could pick out a shirt and stuffed animal for SJ and a souvenir for Gigi and Granddad to thank them for watching SJ for us. Katie Anne picked out the Future Nerd shirt that we'd seen in Tomorrowland for SJ...

and one of the cute Pook-a-Loos we'd seen in Downtown Disney - she got him the Goofy, and he loves it!

Then, we ran through the drive-thru at McDonald's for a quick breakfast, and - in the middle of a huge storm that luckily missed our park days - we drove towards home!

As we drove under the Walt Disney Welcome sign, it says, "See Ya' Real Soon!" on the back. We read that out loud to Katie Anne, and she asked us, "What does that mean?" We told her that's what Mickey Mouse always says when he tells people goodbye. I guess that's when it really hit her that we were leaving, because this is the reaction we got...

Guess she was more upset about leaving than even she realized! Well, that's what happens when you've looked forward to a trip and had such a wonderful time! We definitely have a lot to look forward to for our next Disney adventure!

Disney Day 3: Adventure Day!

2011-04-07T20:10:00.002-04:00

Our first day in the Magic Kingdom was our Princess Day, and day #3 was our Adventure Day! We rode all the Disney World classics along with a few rides that were new to all three of us. We found out that Katie Anne can be a little haunted house, roller coaster, jungle cruising thrillseeker just as easily as she can be the princess!

This second day in the Magic Kingdom got off to a very early but very amazing start. I had heard that, if you have one of the earliest character breakfast reservations, that you can go into the park before it actually opens. So, I made sure to make a very advance reservation for the Winnie the Pooh and Friends character breakfast at The Crystal Palace.

Sleepy girl after her 5:45 am wake up time!

Actually it worked out even better than I'd planned - because Katie Anne had to potty, she and I were the first people in the park other than Cast Members on her actual birthday! It was crazy - but we were fair and, as promised, we pottied at the first available bathroom and went right back out to wait in line until it was our turn to enter. We all got to enter the Magic Kingdom about 20 minutes before the park officially opened, and it was so neat to be in the park with almost no one else there! Of course, for this picture-obsessed Mommy, the chance to take pictures in front of the Disney classic locations with no crowds was too perfect!

Two thumbs up for getting in the park early!

Early morning, crowd-free views of the castle!

Normally, the walk-thru of the castle is closed during the park hours due to shows taking place in front of the castle. Since we got in early, we got to walk through and show Katie Anne the tunnel and murals inside the castle.

Our little model working it in front of the castle!

After the fireworks went off to start the official day in the castle, we headed to The Crystal Palace for our big buffet breakfast. This was our great view from our breakfast spot!

Cute Minnie Mouse Girl on her official birthday!

Katie Anne LOVED the Winnie the Pooh and Friends Breakfast - even more than the princesses! She said that, "These guys are just so soft and comfy ... and I can kiss them."

Piglet is her absolute favorite!

Leading the parade at breakfast - right behind Eeyore!

Happy Fourth Birthday, Baby Girl!

After breakfast, Katie Anne and I headed to the stroller rental location while Daddy was busy elsewhere. We were like 2 salmon swimming upstream - we were trying to get back to the front gates of the park while everyone else was trying to get into the park! I decided to go way over in front of the Town Theater building and slide along the wall to get back through the tunnel with KA. As we were walking in front of the Town Theater, a Cast Member with a big Mickey mitt on his hand caught my eye and say, "Hey - want to meet Mickey Mouse?"

This Town Theater location only opened as a meet and greet spot on April 1 while ToonTown is being remodeled, and most people weren't even aware of it. It turns out that Mickey was in the "Magical Backstage" area of the theater a little early, and no one realized he was there yet! Katie Anne and I hurried inside, and the line was only about 10 people long to meet him! We quickly called Saunders, and he arrived just in time for our private audience with Mickey ... and Minnie Mouse! Usually, Minnie isn't with Mickey in this area, but somehow they were both there ... in this gorgeous room ... with a professional PhotoPass photographer and a Cast Member happy to take our pictures with our camera! We got to spend about five minutes all alone in the backstage room with them. Katie Anne was totally over the moon! It was an amazing experience to spend time with them in that private setting and not have to wait at all to do it! Of course, we got tons of pictures of the moment!

What a birthday surprise - Katie Anne is thrilled to meet Minnie!

So excited!

Mickey and Minnie made a big deal over Katie Anne's personalized Mini-Minnie shirt - they loved Tara Rowell's cute design!

Our family with Mickey and Minnie - minus little SJ, of course! If SJ had been there, this would probably be our Christmas card picture!*

She kept pointing to them and saying, "The Queen of Disney World! The King of Disney World!" That made Mickey do his little silent shaking giggle!

Getting a big hug from Mickey Mouse before we leave!

After we left Mickey and Minnie, we got our stroller and headed for a quick stop in Fantasyland. Even though we'd done Fantasyland yesterday, there was someone special that wasn't there yesterday. Mary Poppins just *might be* someone we know ... but I think that, since she untagged herself from these pictures on Facebook, that I'm not supposed to blow her secret identity! So, I'll just say that we wanted to make a special stop by Mary Poppins's location today to make sure that we met her!

KA and MP!

Of course, since Mary Poppins is stationed right beside the carousel, what could we do but ride it again! Nothing like time #5 on the carousel!

Then, it was out of Fantasyland and off for a big day in the other areas of the park! We rode almost EVERYTHING**! In Adventureland, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, The Jungle Cruise, and The Magic Carpets of Alladin. In Frontierland, we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. In Liberty Square, we rode Haunted Mansion. In Tomorrowland, we rode Buzz Lightyear's Spin, Stitch's Great Escape, The Carousel of Progress, and the Monsters' Inc Laugh Floor. Saunders rode Space Mountain, and Katie Anne was sooo disappointed that she wasn't quite tall enough to ride with him! A lot of rides forbid flash photography, so I just snapped pictures when I could!

Our little pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean!

Smiling - and being scared! - on The Jungle Cruise!

In the middle of all the wild riding, little KA took a sweaty nap Disney style - slumped over in her stroller! We pushed into a shady area to rest and let her power nap for about 35 minutes, and when she woke up, we were on the go again!

Our little thrillseeker! Katie Anne loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She terrified Daddy because she wanted to keep her hands up the whole time on the roller coaster. She screamed and leaned into the turns - it was hilarious! No fear! When the trained pulled into the station at the end of the ride, she called out, "One more time, people! One more time!" But with a two-hour wait (we FastPassed this ride and didn't wait even five minutes to ride it, but the stand-by line was two hours at this point), even the Birthday Button didn't have enough pull for an extra time around on this ride!

We thought KA might be afraid of the Haunted Mansion, but she loved it! She was much more afraid of the T-rex at Downtown Disney than the ghosts. She spent the ride trying to figure out how they made the ghosts move - what a realist!

She loved all the things they have for guests to do while waiting in line - she wanted to pose with the gravestones! Creepy!

In Tomorrowland, she hit the dance floor for a party with Stitch, Chip, and Dale. Here she is dancing the Cha-Cha Slide with Stitch! This was one of the highlights of the day for her.

The new Fantasyland addition will have lots of Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast things, but there's little of that in MK right now. That didn't stop Katie Anne from asking for a picture with the Beast's cutout, though!

The little model asked to pose for pictures in the sleigh outside the Christmas store while I picked out an ornament to commemorate our trip. What a little ham!

Then, it was time to snag a spot and wait for the Electric Parade to start.

People start lining up for that parade an hour in advance! That left us with a lot of time to kill while waiting.

Luckily, Daddy bought Katie Anne a light-up Tinkerbell toy before he hurried off to ride Space Mountain before the parade began. That toy helped her fill the time while we waited.

All that waiting paid off because we had amazing seats for the parade - right in front of Cinderella's Castle in almost the exact same spot as before. We'd gotten the tip from a Cast Member at our lunch spot (The Diamond Horseshoe in Liberty Square - an amazing lunch!) to sit close to the castle for good views during the Magic, Memories, and You lights show, but not too close so you could see the Wishes fireworks display well, too. Our spot turned out to give us fabulous views for all the evening events - what a great tip! I took lots of pictures of the parade, but I'll just share my favorite since this post is so long ... Puff the Magic Dragon flying past us, right in front of the castle!

Katie Anne was such a trooper all day. Spending 15 hours in the park was a lot to ask a brand-new four-year-old, but she was up for the challenge - she got every bit of party and fun out of her special birthday! She got up at 5:45 am and was go-go-go all day long, right up until the end. She watched the Electric Parade and loved it, and it started at 9:00 pm. She was mesmerized by the Magic, Memories, and You light show at 9:45 pm - she's still talking about the way the lights transformed the castle. Her favorite parts of that show were when the castle looked like a rocket blasting into space and when the lights made it look like the castle was on fire! Sadly, in the few minutes between the light show and the Wishes fireworks at 10:00 pm, she fell asleep in the stroller and missed the fireworks. She actually slept all the way out of the park, on the bus, and into her bed in the hotel room! When she woke up the next morning, she opened her eyes and said, "Wait! Did I miss the fireworks?!?!" She was sad for a second, but I'd filmed the whole thing on our video camera for her, so she was able to watch the whole show in the hotel room bed the next morning. And it was a fabulous show!

We had such a great time in the Magic Kingdom!

*Where was SJ during our Disney Trip? At home having lots of fun with Gigi and Granddad - and he also got to spend some time with VJ while we were away! We knew that he would have a tough time in the heat with few chances to cool down or nap, and we wanted Katie Anne to have some special one-on-one time with Mommy and Daddy for her birthday. Also, it was good for SJ to spend some time with his grandparents, too. Although we missed him while we were gone, we think it was a better time for everyone that he didn't make his Disney debut quite yet. He loved being spoiled by the grandparents - in the air conditioning! Of course, in a few years, we'll make Katie Anne's birthday wish come true and take both kids to Disney again. Then, when he has his "Golden Birthday" (turning 17 on August 17th), we'll take him somewhere special on his own and leave Katie Anne (who'll be in college at the time!) at home with the grandparents!

**A special note for Aunt Trisha: We did NOT ride the Tea Cups. Katie Anne was very disappointed in us. But, the line was long (no FastPasses here), and we knew we'd throw up! So, Katie Anne said that next time we come to Disney, she's bringing Aunt Trisha and "we'll ride 'til we puke!"

Disney Day 2: Princess Day in the Magic Kingdom!

2011-04-07T18:10:00.001-04:00

For Disney Day 2 on Sunday, it was time to hit the Magic Kingdom! We'd planned a complete princess extravaganza for our first day in the park. We got to the park nice and early at 9:00 and spent the entire day in Fantasyland! Katie Anne has been wishing for months to visit Disney World, meet the princesses, and do all the special girly things in Fantasyland, so our first day in the park was dedicated to just making her dream come true!

Waiting for our bus to take us to MK ... Katie Anne was so excited!

On our way to the Magic Kingdom!

Our first stop was the stroller rental area. We loved renting a stroller - so much easier than lugging ours from home on the bus! Plus, we liked not worrying about our nice stroller being unattended while we were on rides. It worked out perfectly for Katie Anne - she walked sometimes and rode sometimes, and it kept her from being too tired.

Now, it was time for the real fun to begin - here's the view of Cinderella's Castle that greeted us as we strolled down Main Street!

Here's the look on Katie Anne's face the moment she first laid eyes on Cinderella's Castle ...

As soon as she recovered from her moment of magical shock, the cheering began! She called out, "We're here, Disney World, we're here!" over and over!

Katie Anne was so appreciative and thankful for her big birthday trip to Disney. We were amazed at the number of times she told us, "Thank you so much Mommy and Daddy for bringing me here!" and "I love this! This is the greatest trip ever!" We were very proud of her grateful heart and thankful attitude - she was definitely loving every minute of her special trip, and we more than got our money's worth out of this big present for her! Watching her experience the magic of Disney World was absolutely incredible for both of us parents!

We were lucky that we didn't have to wait in many lines to meet characters. We had lots of character dining opportunities planned, and many characters sought Katie Anne out to wish her "Happy Birthday!" because of her birthday button! We did wait in a few short lines to meet a couple of characters who weren't involved in our character dining meals, but we never waited longer than 15 minutes for pictures with anyone.

Here's Katie Anne meeting Cinderella's evil stepsisters - they were hilarious!

Our first ride of the day - the classic Dumbo ride! Katie Anne loved being in control of Dumbo's flying, and she loved the view of all of Fantasyland!

Katie Anne was proudly sporting her giant Disney birthday button that she'd received at our hotel, and Disney goes out of their way to make birthday guests feel so special. Her button got her lots of special attention, tons of birthday wishes, and happy surprises! Her first big birthday treat was when the Cast Members at the carousel heard how much she'd been looking forward to this ride. They told her to stay on and ride the carousel as many times in a row as she wanted!

She couldn't believe that she didn't have to get off when the carousel stopped!

She switched horses between each round of the carousel - we rode FOUR times in a row!

After all that carousel goodness, it was time to hit some more Fantasyland favorites. With a tiny bit of planning and a lot of luck, we never waited longer than 30 minutes for any ride, and usually it was much less than that. Even for some of the "biggies", we used our FastPass and walked right onto the ride with no waits! We rode Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventure, Prince Charming's Regal Carousel, It's a Small World, and Dumbo. Here we our in our flying ship on the Peter Pan ride!

Here's KA on Snow White's Scary Adventure:

Time for that classic - It's a Small World!

Some people may think it's cheesy (*Daddy*), but KA and I loved it!

We sang the song for the rest of the day!

KA and Mommy in our Small World boat:

KA and Daddy in It's a Small World:

After we'd ridden all the Fantasyland favorites, it was time for a Mickey Mouse ice cream cone break!

After our ice cream, we headed back to our locker so KA could change into her beautiful princess dress for our lunch in Cinderella's Castle. Katie Anne really doesn't like regular "dress up" dresses ... she can't stand the itchy material for longer than a few minutes. Gigi found this beautiful pink dress for Katie Anne to wear to lunch, and she loved it!

After the costume change, we had a few minutes of time to spare before we could check in at Cinderella's Royal Table. We decided to hit Mickey's Philharmagic, a 3D movie that was a short wait and only 12 minutes long. It turned out to be fabulous - KA loved it so much that we went back the second day and did it again!

Finally, it was time to go into Cinderella's Royal Table! First, we had our audience with Cinderella. She was stunning in a huge sparkling blue ballgown in the regal castle room - she definitely looked the part of the regal princess at the ball! Katie Anne was totally starstruck by her. KA loved sitting down with Cinderella on her throne, chatting, and getting their pictures made together! We got an 8x10 and 4 smaller prints of the two princesses together:

Then, we had to wait a few minutes before heading upstairs into the castle for our lunch. I asked KA to stand up so I could make a full-length photo of her dress since her photo with Cinderella had been a close-up. She took that opportunity to show off her best modeling moves!

Cinderella was laughing at Katie Anne's modeling! Of course, she wanted to come over and get in on the full-length posing action herself!

Once we got to our table, Katie Anne was presented with some special prizes. This is her Wishing Star:

She also got a Magic Wand:

During the Wishing Ceremony in the restaurant, each girl is asked to close her eyes and make one special wish on her Wishing Star. Then, she was supposed to wave her Magic Wand and say, "Bippity boppity boo!" to make her wish come true! What did this sweet birthday girl wish for?

"I wish that, when SJ is older, I could bring him back to Disney World with me."

(This is also what she wished for each time she blew out a birthday candle in Disney World.)

What a great big sister to spend her birthday wish on her brother!

Watching the blinking lights that signal the magic's working at the end of the Wishing Ceremony!

Mommy and the birthday princess

After the wishing ceremony, it was time for the princesses to visit our table! We started our visiting with Snow White. Katie Anne told her that we'd all dressed up as characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for Halloween, and Snow White thought that was hilarious!

Then, Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose) made her way to our table! She was very sweet to Katie Anne and talked a lot about her special birthday.

Next, it was time for one of KA's favorites - Ariel! When they were talking about Prince Eric, Ariel asked if Katie Anne was going to get married in 12 years or so (haha). Katie Anne told Ariel that she wasn't getting married because "I don't want a boy to bring germs into my house." Ariel thought that was pretty clever! She told Katie Anne that Prince Eric was definitely germy!

Katie Anne hugged Ariel so hard that she almost pushed her over!

Next, Belle came by. Belle loved Katie Anne's dress and asked her to twirl in it, but Katie Anne was a little disappointed in Belle's. She didn't tell Belle herself, but after Belle left, Katie Anne said, "I really wish she was wearing her big yellow dress!"

Belle is one of Katie Anne's favorite princesses, but she didn't like meeting her best. Belle seemed a little rushed and didn't spend a long time chatting with KA like the other princesses did. Katie Anne said, "Belle seemed a little harsh to me." Haha!

After meeting all the princesses, Katie Anne decided her favorites were Ariel and Cinderella. Then, after we finished our lunch, it was time for KA's birthday cupcake and make-your-own sundae!

Decorating her cupcake:

The finished masterpiece!

When we left Cinderella's Castle, it was just in time to snag a great seat for the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade.

We had wonderful seats - the first row on the circle, right in front of the castle!

While we waited, Katie Anne got to interact with Push the Talking Trashcan from Tomorrowland.

She thought she had the remote controlled trashcan all figured out - she guessed that there was a little man inside driving it and talking. When she went up to meet Push, she peeked into the lid. Then, she came back and told me that it was a real trash bag inside! So, the mystery continued for her.

Beautiful girl waiting patiently!

Time for the parade!

Donald Duck came right over to shake KA's hand and wish her happy birthday!

Alladin called out happy birthday wishes to KA from the top of his float and blew her a kiss!

The Mad Hatter wished Katie Anne a very happy birthday as his float rolled by.

Cinderella's Evil Stepmother had to make a visit to KA, too.

She told Katie Anne happy birthday and added, "You have a really nice gown!"

Even the Fairy Godmother called out, "Happy Birthday!" to Katie Anne. KA loved all the special birthday wishes during the parade!

It was almost dinner time and everyone was winding down. Plus, we'd done everything on our Magic Kingdom list in our very first day! So, we decided to head back to the hotel for a little downtime before tomorrow's early morning wake-up call. We bought a big princess balloon for the birthday girl, then we headed out of the park!

The sleepy princess took a snooze all the way back to the hotel room. When we got there, all 3 of us took a nap until about 6:00 pm.

That evening, it was time for one of KA's most wanted activities - swimming!

Yes, the Fantasia-themed pool definitely called KA's name. She kept asking to go swimming, so we spent some time in the pool on Sunday evening playing and splashing around.

The water was a little chilly!

Who goes to Disney World and just wants to swim? This cute girl!

Disney Day 1: Driving & Downtown Disney!

2011-04-07T09:32:00.002-04:00

For Katie Anne's "Golden Birthday" (turning 4 on 4/4), we decided to plan something big and special for her - spending her birthday in Disney World! After waiting and waiting for the day to arrive, it was finally Saturday and time to head down to Orlando to celebrate! Katie Anne couldn't have been more excited. She woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to hit the road. She kept saying, "BAM! We're going!" over and over ... we don't know where she got that, but it was hilarious! After we grabbed some breakfast and loaded the car, it was time to hit the highway!

Katie Anne, Peach, and a ton of stuff to keep her entertained during the eight-hour drive!

As we got closer and closer to Disney, you could see things like Epcot on the horizon. Katie Anne was getting more excited by the minute, looking out the windows for the first sign that she was officially in Disney territory. Finally, we saw the official welcome sign over the road! We were here!

Katie Anne was so thrilled that she could barely contain herself!

When we got to our hotel - the Disney All-Stars Movie Resort - Katie Anne was thrilled to see that we were staying in the Toy Story area. She couldn't believe the giant Toy Story themed things in the "Andy's Room" part of the resort!

I couldn't get Katie Anne and the entire giant Buzz Lightyear into the same picture - you can barely see the top of her little head down there at Buzz's feet!

There she is!

We dropped off our luggage and looked at the Toy Story decorations for a few minutes, then we jumped on the bus and headed to Downtown Disney to shop and eat dinner. Downtown Disney was so neat! There were tons of cool shops to look at, lots of restaurants, outdoor entertainment, and more to see and do. It definitely kicked off the entire Disney experience for us!

Katie Anne started the evening with a little dance party in the street in front of a live band:

Then, she wanted to pose on a big motorcycle at the Harley store:

Our next stop was the giant World of Disney store, where the Stitch statue on the top of the sign spit water into the crowds!

Of course, KA wanted in on the spitting action - here she is getting sprayed!

Inside the store, it was time for a sprinkle of a more girly variety - pixie dust!

Daddy and KA outside near the river in Downtown Disney:

Katie Anne wanted to stop by the trading pins store for a picture with the Daisy and Donald Duck statues:

For dinner, we ate at the T-Rex restaurant, which is filled with lots of moving, roaring, life-sized dinosaurs! Katie Anne was terrified of the two-story T rex:

She couldn't even pose for a picture next to the smaller dinosaurs!

Once we got inside, we sat in the aquarium area, which was really neat. We also had a view into the ice cave and over the dinosaur area - there was always something roaring, moving, or flying around! Once we got settled at the table, Katie Anne said, "Oh, I guess all these animals are just puppets." She was much more comfortable after that, and she even petted a tiny triceratops and a baby wooly mammoth!

After our very late dinner (our reservations were at 9:15!) the fossil dig area was less crowded, so KA wanted to take her turn digging up some fossils before we left Downtown Disney.

When we got back to our hotel, it was after 11 pm ... but that wasn't too late for one more tour of Andy's room for Katie Anne!

Everything in Andy's Room was larger than life!

At almost midnight, it was finally time for bed after a long, fun, Disney day!

Happy Birthday to Papaw!

2011-03-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday night, our family gathered at Cracker Barrel in Kennesaw to celebrate Papaw's birthday! We had a big dinner - and a gigantic table! Papaw enjoyed everyone coming out and eating with him to celebrate his 82nd birthday!

It was also a big night for our little man SJ, too ... it was his first time to ever sit up in a restaurant highchair! He absolutely loves his new highchair/shopping cart cover.

*I know all these pictures of SJ kind of look the same, but they were all so cute that I could not choose which ones to delete! Also, his little cut on his face is self-mutlilation ... he scratched his cheek at daycare today with his fingernail.

SJ's New Bath Seat

2011-03-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

Now that SJ is a wild man in the tub who wants to sit up and splash around, it was time to upgrade to a more mature bath seat for him. I ordered a great seat from Amazon - the Dream on Me Baby Bath Seat in yellow. He was so excited to sit up in the water and play!

Beautiful Belle

2011-03-20T21:57:00.000-04:00

Katie Anne is so excited about going to Disney for her birthday, and she wants to have a dress-up birthday party after we return from our trip so that she can be her favorite princess at her party! Now, who her favorite princess is changes quite often. She goes back and forth between Belle, Ariel, and Tiana every couple of days. Today, I wanted to make some pictures of her in a dress-up outfit for her birthday invitation, so I let her choose what she wanted to wear for the pictures. She chose to dress up as Belle, complete with her dress-up wig!

She looked so precious running around the front yard, all decked out in her Belle dress and fancy hair.

We can't wait to see her dressed up with her favorite princesses at Disney World in a few weeks!

Guess Who's 7 Months Old?

2011-03-17T20:42:00.000-04:00

This guy!

That's right - SJ is seven months old!

Not too much has changed in the last month for SJ. His eating, sleeping, and playing patterns are all basically the same as they were at six months.

Eating:

He loves to eat - especially fruit - and would eat baby food all day if we'd let him. He still likes his food very smooth and isn't into any textures yet. If I make his food the slightest bit chunky, he chokes on it. He loves chewing on fruit in his net feeder! A big developmental step for SJ in self-feeding was learning to hold his own bottle just before his seven-month mark. He shows a definite interest in what we've got on our plates, so we may try some finger foods soon.

Sleeping:

Unfortunately, SJ still isn't sleeping through the night. Even with watering down his nightly bottle, he still wakes up every night at least once - sometimes even three! - times between his 8:00 pm bedtime and his morning wake-up time of around 6:30 am. Luckily, he does go back to sleep very quickly when he wakes up - especially if you give him a warm bottle - but that does make for one tired mommy that we're still getting up every night in month seven!

Personality:

Luckily, his disposition hasn't changed, either! At seven months old, SJ is a very cheerful, happy baby. He loves to babble, giggle, and he's definitely learned how to let loose with a high-pitched squeal this month!

He loves laughing, playing with toys, trying to grab hair and pull it, and chewing on everything. SJ would love to crawl - he's desperate to move around and tries to crawl or pull himself along the floor a lot. He's drooling nonstop and teething all the time, but so far he hasn't had a tooth pop through yet.

SJ loves to watch Katie Anne and mimic everything she does. Here, he's wearing her cowboy hat, which we all found hilarious! One of the cutest things that he does is lean way over to his side and look out of the corner of his eyes at you with a silly little grin. He is a big ham and loves to play peek-a-boo with a burp cloth, toy, or hat. He is a lot of fun - everyone loves to play with him!

We can't tell quite yet, but it looks like SJ's eyes are turning brown this month. They aren't the blue-gray color they were before - there's a brown starburst in the middle of both his irises now, and his eyes definitely look darker. We've had to cut his hair again this month because it grows so fast, and it is hard to really tell what color it is for sure. It looks medium brown, light brown, blonde, or reddish depending on the light. His coloring is definitely lighter than the rest of the family. He looks a lot more like me as a baby than Katie Anne did - she looked a lot like Saunders's baby pictures.

SJ is a wonderful baby, and we're so glad to have him!

Baby Nirvana

2011-03-13T20:26:00.001-04:00

Baby Nirvana has been achieved.

Do you know what Baby Nirvana is?

That's the day when your baby can/will hold his own bottle, and this is one milestone that this busy mommy of two has been waiting not-so-patiently for! SJ has been playing around with the thought of holding his own bottle for about a month, but it will only last for a few seconds before he drops it. Today, SJ held his own bottle for almost the whole feeding!

Hallelujah!

*And I know this isn't the most masculine bottle, but SJ says real men don't have a problem drinking from a pink bottle ... and they aren't ashamed to use hand-me-down baby products from their big sisters! I actually thought about trading out for a more manly-colored bottle before I made these pictures, but when you're experiencing Baby Nirvana, you don't take any chances on messing it up!

A Birthday Surprise...

2011-03-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

Even though it's a few weeks until her special day, we had an early birthday surprise for Katie Anne. Since Katie Anne's fourth birthday is her "golden birthday" (turning 4 on 4/4), I wanted this birthday to be something special. We started planning this surprise in January, and we've been waiting to tell her for months! Now that our surprise is about a month away, we decided that today was a good day to tell her about it. So, I wrapped up a box of clues to the surprise. Can you figure out what the surprise is?

Katie Anne was so excited to open the giant box!

Time to open!

Checking out the clues...

Studying the photo album... wondering why she would have a Minnie Mouse photo album with no pictures inside.

Wait a minute...

"Am I going to Disney World!?!"

Yes!

When Katie Anne figured out what she was going to spend her fourth birthday in the Magic Kingdom, she got so excited! It was definitely the reaction we were hoping for... she flipped back into the chair, slid into the floor, and squealed with excitement!

I took a video of her opening the gift and her reaction, but I took it with our real video camera, not the digital camera (I was using it to make still shots). If I can figure out a way, I'll upload the video so you can see the conniption that took place when she found out she'd be celebrating her birthday with the princesses in Cinderella's castle!

A picture of the future Disney World princess with her new dolls:

She's just a little bit excited about her special birthday!

We can't wait for our trip!

Lily's Tea Party

2011-03-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we celebrated Lily's 5th birthday with a special tea party!

Katie Anne was so excited to get dressed up in a fancy dress and have a tea party with her friends. Vanessa did such a great job of planning the tea. The fun started when all the little girls got to make fancy hats...

Then, it was time to for fancy manicures and pedicures...

Finally, all the girls got their makeup applied before the actual tea party began!

Then it was time for a fancy afternoon tea - using Vanessa's wedding china! What a brave woman! The little girls loved the petit fours, fancy marshmellows, fruit, and everything else dainty and petite. They used their best table manners, too!

After the tea party, Lily got to open all her special presents.

Lily and the girls loved the gift that Katie Anne had picked for Lily - a PlayDoh Cake Making Machine. They busted into it and started making cakes right away!

It was such a fun tea party for sweet Lily and her friends!

High School Musical

2011-03-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

My mom, Katie Anne, and I went to see a local high school production of High School Musical. Katie Anne loved the show and all the songs! She was mesmerized by the "bad girl" Sharpay and asked a million questions about her motives. Now, KA thinks she's an expert on all things teenager. :)

SJ's 6 Month Well Check

2011-03-10T18:45:00.004-05:00

SJ had his six-month well visit with Dr. Ryan today!

Everything went well. SJ is right on track with all his milestones - he's sitting up unsupported, rolling over both ways, transferring objects from hand to hand, etc. In fact, he sat up during the whole examination this time!

He's also growing like a champion! In fact, SJ is the size of the average one-year-old! He weighed in at a whopping 20 lb, 7 oz and measuring a gigantic 28 inches long! Considering that the average one-year-old is 21 lbs and 28 inches long, SJ is quite the man.

Big boys need love, too!

"Mom, did you just put my weight online for public ridicule?"

In all seriousness, Dr. Ryan is not worried about SJ's weight because most babies triple their birth weight by age 1, and that would be 27 lbs for SJ. He was a big baby to begin with, so he's not going to reverse it and be tiny now. Also, Dr. Ryan said that SJ is proportional - it would be different if he were 20 lbs and the "regular" 6 month length, but since he's super tall it all kind of balances out.

So, SJ laughs at all the haters out there.

SJ got three shots, and he took them like a total man. He only cried for a few seconds, and then he gave a teary-eyed smile at the nurse! She couldn't believe it and said it made her feel so bad that he was smiling with his little eyes filled with tears! That was all the crying he did about the shots, although he did his new skill - a fake cry/laugh that's kind of like "ah - ah - ah" (very George McFly-like) for a few minutes after the shots to show his displeasure.

Here he is in full George McFly mode:

Dr. Ryan did give SJ his first antibiotic today - his ears were a little red and had some fluid in them, and he's had a cold since December, so SJ needed a little antibiotic help to kick the sinus infection and stop his ears from getting too infected as well. Dr. Ryan also said that SJ isn't getting enough sleep and should be sleeping 10-12 hours straight through the night at this point. Hey, I agree with that! Unfortunately, it just isn't happening. His sinuses and ears may be waking him up, so the antibiotic will alleviate that cause. Also, Dr. Ryan gave me a plan for slowly cutting his nighttime bottle of formula with water over the next month to try to eliminate that middle of the night feeding. Fingers crossed that it works!

Happy Birthday to Emma!

2011-03-10T18:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we celebrated Emma's fifth birthday with a fun party at her house! Natalie and Brandon had lots of snacks, a big delicious Hello Kitty cake, and a pinata for the kids to bust. I think the surprisingly rainy, cool weather put a little damper on some of the party plans for outside fun, but we all had a great time hanging out inside anyway. The kids loved playing with all of Emma's great toys, and the pinata was a lot of fun, too! Emma got lots of cute clothes and fun presents, and she seemed to have a great time celebrating being five surrounded by family and friends!

The birthday girl!

It is so hard to believe that Emma is already five - all the little kids we know are quickly becoming big kids!

Watching Emma blow out the candles

Pinata time!

KA's still on a pinata-bashing high!

Daddy and SJ

A Product Review ... and a Confession

2011-03-09T22:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have to admit something... and it isn't easy for me to do.

I was totally, totally, totally wrong about the Net Feeder.

When Katie Anne was a baby, I was totally anti-Net Feeder. Why? I thought it was messy, gross, and just a nasty thought - who wants to suck food through a net? Apparently, babies do.

Here's SJ thinking, "Yes, Mother ... you are a fool. Sucking watermelon through a net is AMAZING."

So, all you new moms out there - the Net Feeder is great. SJ loves it. It is worth every penny because it buys you a happy baby for a substantial amount of time, enabling you to actually eat in peace. We've put chopped watermelon, honeydew, and strawberries in it, and it keeps SJ gnawing and happy for 20-30 minutes while we're eating. Fabulous! He was less enthused about cantelope and sweet potatoes in the net feeder, but that's fine because he will eat watermelon all day long in this thing. I wish I hadn't been such a Net Feeder hater when KA was a baby! It really isn't even that messy.

One note - the Nuby Nibbler (which is what SJ's using in the pictures) is a little better quality and easier to clean than the Munchkin Net Feeder. The Nuby breaks down into 3 pieces (the net comes completely out), but the Munchkin's net is permanently attached. So, the Nuby's easier to clean. Also, the Munchkin has a strange clasp that's hard to open and close, especially with one hand if you're holding the baby! SJ doesn't seem to have a preference for either, but I prefer the Nuby even though it's slightly more expensive. Just FYI!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

Remember SJ's New Bath Seat?

2011-03-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Do you remember just a few short months ago when SJ got this precious baby bath seat from Santa?

He loved it...

... for about 2 months.

Now, like so many wonderful and expensive baby products that come in and out of SJ's life in a rapid succession, SJ has decided that he is too grown up for a baby bath seat.

Oh yes - babies lay back and take a relaxing bath. Big boys sit up and splash!

SJ is a lot of fun in the bath, and he's a cheerful, happy bather ... but you are SOAKED when you finish bathing him!

Obviously, this is the last time we used the "Large Comfort Bather"...

... because SJ's new-found bath independence is totally dangerous. Here he is, about half a second from going face first into the drink!

Yes, I'm slightly annoyed that Santa wasted good money on a bath seat that SJ only used about 15 or 20 times. But, when you look at a cute little face like this, how can you be mad?

You can't!

Jesus in Jail ... and a SCARY Story

2011-03-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

In case you missed Awana's last week, Katie Anne can fill you in. You may think you know the Easter story, but you don't know the half of it according to KA. Don't worry, though - Katie Anne will be happy to set you straight and tell you the true story of Jesus - IN JAIL.

The Cubbies are learning about Easter, and Katie Anne couldn't wait to tell me all about it. This video is from last Wednesday night when they talked about Jesus being arrested. You may have never heard the story told quite like this:

In case you wonder if her imagination runs wild only in terms of Bible reinterpretations, it doesn't stop there. She can tell some suspenseful, scary stories, too. Just so you know before watching - Kylie (along with her brother Ethan) are Katie Anne's imaginary friends.

I should try to get more of her stories on video, because she tells wild, crazy, imaginative stories all the time. As you can hear in the videos, they crack us up on a daily basis!

Two Stylin' Girls

2011-03-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

Katie Anne has gotten really into fixing my hair in the last few weeks. Of course, I totally love that because I love people playing with my hair. We usually take turns fixing each other's hair in crazy new ways, with one person sitting on the floor and the other person sitting on the couch behind them, and it reminds me of when me and my mom did the same thing when I was little. This time, we busted out the little snap tiny barrettes, and it added a whole new dimension to our styling abilities! We were able to do fashionable updo's, sideswept bangs, and all kinds of good stuff.

My beautiful hair, courtesy of Katie Anne...

My hair looks totally thin here, but I love the little photobomber on the side...

So pale! We definitely need some sun...

Katie Anne had taken off her nice new shirt at dinner time (we had pasta with red sauce, and I didn't want that new shirt stained!) so she's totally rocking her wife beater here...

She looks cute in anything she wears!

KA's turn - very fancy...

I wish I had that much hair!

We were having so much fun that, when we looked up at the clock, it was already 9:00 - and Katie Anne hadn't had a shower yet! Oops! It was a late bedtime, but it was worth it.

Enjoying the Beautiful Weather!

2011-03-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Late in February, the weather was so great - warm, breezy, and totally spring-like! So, we got out as much as we could on the weekends and enjoyed it. We installed SJ's toddler swing from Santa, and he loved swinging with his big sister!

This picture was my attempt to get one of the both of them together, and it didn't turn out to be a good one. But, I kind of love it because Katie Anne looks like her little toddler self instead of her new big-kid self a little bit in it!

More Literary Stylings of Katie Anne

2011-03-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Since learning how to write her name by herself a few weeks ago, Katie Anne's handwriting has really taken off. She now writes her last name on everything! This is her first attempt at writing Jones by herself from several weeks ago:

Of course, all this writing knowledge hasn't been without its share of drama. Sometimes, people leave off the "e" at the end of Katie Anne's name. Lots of people do it. It drives me crazy, but I don't mention it - it's just what happens when there are two very common spellings of your name. Well, now that Katie Anne knows there's an "e" at the end of Anne, she's started adding it to her name when anyone - including her teachers - forget it.

That in and of itself isn't a problem ... but when Katie Anne brought this paper home, she said, "I fixed my name on my paper, and then I got in trouble!" When I got her to explain to me what had happened, apparently she's not too shy about pointing out the mistake to her teachers whenever they make it. :)

So, this lead to a long discussion about when it's okay to correct people, and when it's better to just keep it to yourself. I think she's learned her lesson because today she told me that one of her teachers had been singing a song about left and right, but she'd gotten her left and right hands mixed up. I asked Katie Anne if she'd said anything about it, but she said, "No, I didn't mention it." Haha!

One other writing development is something that's really near and dear to my heart. Anyone who knows me well knows I have a deep and abiding love of fonts, and I have a signature font that I claimed as my own years ago ... my beloved Tinkertoy!

Oh, Tinkertoy, you bring me so much joy! I love to use Tinkertoy whenever I can - when typing or writing letters myself. Even though I've never explicitly taught Katie Anne about adding the little dots to her letters, I guessed she's picked up on it. And, bless her little heart, she tries her best to do Tinkertoy on her own! When I caught her writing her name this way on some of her Valentine's cards, she said, "I'm writing like you, Mommy!" That's a girl after my own heart!

Where There's a Will, There's a Way

2011-02-28T22:02:00.000-05:00

Katie Anne is a super-duper big sister. We really could not ask for her to be any sweeter or more in love with SJ than she is. She loves to play with him, read to him, and show him things - she's got the sweetest little voice when she talks to him, and I love to watch them together.

Katie Anne's constantly trying to teach him things like his colors, numbers, letters, or the names of things ... today, she was coaching him to name all the vegetables and fruit in her play food set. He'll probably be a genius - or totally burnout on learning by the time he reaches kindergarten - because she loves to hold things up, name them, and say, "Can you say that? Can you say that, SJ?" She loves to play with him, too. Even though he can't participate too much yet, Katie Anne tries hard to involve him in her playtime. Here's a picture of SJ enjoying a delicious dinner of wooden food that Katie Anne prepared and served him:

Katie Anne is a big help to us in taking care of SJ, too. She will sit beside him wherever he is - Exersaucer, high chair, on the floor - and retrieve the toys he throws over ... and over ... and over without complaint. She even congratulates him for getting better at throwing things while she fetches what he's tossed over. So far, knock on wood - I've never seen her get tired of handing him back what he's thrown once. Godsend.

She has a lot of patience with him, especially when he cries - she sings to him so sweetly and strokes his arm when he's upset. She is a lifesaver in the morning - she entertains him on our bed with all his toys while we get ready for work and never complains about it. Keeping Katie Anne entertained when we were getting ready for work was so tough when she was a baby - who knew a big sister's constant attention was the answer to keeping baby happy all morning long?

Sometimes, she does bonk him on the head or pull on him too roughly, but it is always out of a good intention like wanting to show him something, give him something, take away something from him that she's deemed dangerous (and that's most of the things in the world, unfortunately for SJ), or kiss him, hug him, or generally love on him too much. As evidenced by his face in this series of pictures, SJ doesn't always appreciate the love - but 99% of the time, he's just thrilled about all the attention and adores her more than anyone else he knows.

However, there is one area of SJ care that Katie Anne cannot do at all, and it frustrates her to no end. It has driven her crazy since the minute he was born, and it still is a puzzle she wants to solve. The problem is - Why can't she carry SJ around? She would love nothing more than to hoist SJ up on her hip and walk all over the world with him. Of course, since he weighs about half what she does, that is not possible. She's been earnestly working on a solution, and she's yet to figure out a way that she can really do it. But, where there's a (strong) will, there's a way, and she did find a little fake-out way to pretend to be holding him. Now she loves to do this all ... the ... time!

She sits on the bed, pulls SJ over to her side, and puts his arms and legs around her like she's holding him on her hip. Then, she clutches him around his back (and occasionally around his head) and pretends that she's holding him by herself. If this last picture doesn't show how excited she is to be hanging out with her little brother, I don't know what does!

Six Months Old!

2011-02-17T21:38:00.001-05:00

Our little man is 6 months old today!

I don't have much time for the computer these days ... two kids plus work and everything else along the way is keeping me so busy! I'm currently about a week behind in my blogging. I still take lots of pictures of the kids, and I try to sit down and do as many blog posts as I can at once so I can remember these times later. It seems like every time I sit down to do a big upload/update to the blog, I've got to put another " -- Months Old!" post up for SJ. I cannot believe he's halfway through his first year! Babytime moves much faster the second time around!

In a way, I'm very excited to hit the six month mark with SJ ... that means we're halfway through with the insane expense, time, and trouble of formula, bottles, and babyfood. I am also enjoying play time with SJ so much right now. I also loved the time between 6 - 9 months when Katie Anne was a baby ... those three months were probably the easiest and most fun of her entire first year for me. I love this stage of development - sitting up, playing with toys, babbling and being happy without the constant worrying that comes with crawling, pulling up, and taking care of a new walker. Also, SJ recognizes all of us now, and he loves seeing us. He's so happy when I walk into his room to get him up, or when he sees me across the room, or when I get to day care to pick him up. Seeing his eyes light up when I come into his room to get him out of the crib makes me so happy every morning. Many mornings, with a cranky husband and a cranky little girl (they're both so not morning people), SJ's happy face is the brightest spot in my morning routine. I hope he keeps his morning person status so I can have a happy morning friend! So, I'm loving it that SJ is in a really enjoyable stage. Plus, the sleepless nights and constant care that a baby needs are starting to exhaust me. At six months old, I am looking forward to SJ sleeping more and needing a little less.

However, knowing that this is (barring any surprises in the future) my last baby, I am also sad to see this mid-year milestone arrive - the beginning of the end of the baby stage. Because I have KA to compare him to, I know how quickly this is going - I don't think I realized it with Katie Anne, but I am well-aware that time is zooming past this second time around. At night, when I'm sitting with SJ in his room in the semi-dark without distractions, I try to very actively enjoy, take in, and remember the feeling of holding him. As I sit there, giving him his bedtime bottle and watching him sliding into sleep, I am amazed by how big he already is - how much his face has changed in just a few months. I know it will seem like no time before he's walking, talking, and wanting to do everything on his own just like his big sister. Katie Anne doesn't want - or need - very much help from us anymore, and I know SJ will be independent very soon, too. Then, my days of holding a baby every day will be over. So, as very tired as I am, I am trying to force my brain to lock the last of the baby days in my house into my memory.

At 6 Months...

Eating:

SJ eats three square meals a day of baby food. He's just moved up to Stage 2 foods, and he loves any food that isn't green. He would eat fruits all day long if I would let him! I let him try his first sippy cup today with water inside ... he enjoyed chewing on it, but I don't think he drank anything from it. SJ takes about 5 bottles per day, between 6-8 oz each. Unfortunately, he still doesn't hold his own bottle, although he tries! If the bottle is almost empty or if he's got somewhere to prop it, he can hold it for a few seconds on his own, but that's it.

Sleeping:

*SJ is doing better about sleeping through the night. He usually goes to sleep early around 6:30-7:00, wakes up around 9:00-10:00 for a bottle, and then sleeps for about a seven hour stretch. That means he wakes up between 4:00-5:00 for a diaper change and bottle. Then, he'll sleep another hour or two before he's up for the day.

Development:

*SJ is sitting up on his own, rolling both ways, and chewing on everything. He loves to play with toys - especially a little orange vinyl dinosaur that's his absolute favorite. His favorite activity is playing peek-a-boo with his burp cloth! He loves to sit on the floor, surrounded by toys, and play for a long time. It's time to put the Bebe Pod away because he's great at sitting up all on his own. He enjoys his Exersaucer, too - but the swing is a no-go for him. He still hates it. He rolls and wriggles and army crawls all around his crib at night - we're about to have to remove the bumper because he's pulling it down and chewing on it. He hasn't gotten any teeth yet, but he's definitely teething because he drools nonstop. He loves to laugh and giggle - Katie Anne is by far the funniest person he knows. He has a very pleasant personality and is a GREAT rider in the car - he likes to play with his playbar and little toys in his car seat.

I don't think we take enough videos of SJ, so I made a long one of him today to try to catch some of his six month old self for posterity!